The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced to hold the annual New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno-gu at midnight on Sun, Dec. 31 with global influencers. While previous events had been held somewhat as formal ceremonies centered around institutions, this year’s event will cater more to the public, engaging both local and global citizens as a joyful festival aimed at invigorating the lively and optimistic atmosphere of the year-end season. As a global New Year’s event, the city invited six major global influencers from the 2023 Seoul Con to participate in the bell-ringing ceremony so that their direct participation can serve as an opportunity to inform viewers of the event’s long tradition as well as promote the city’s charms. Social media followers: 17.88M(YouTube: 1.18M, TikTok: 13.3M, Instagram: 3.4M)Elina Jang was born in Uzbekistan, raised in Korea from the age of 4, and was thereafter naturalized as a Korean citizen. Social media followers: 51.51M(YouTube: 7.15M, TikTok: 36.2M, Instagram: 8.16M)Kika Kim is a Korean-Kazakh model who ranked second among TikTok creators in Central Asia. Social media followers: 8.87M(YouTube: 1.58M, TikTok: 4M, Instagram: 3.29M)Kristel Fulgar is a Filipino actress and singer with a growing fanbase. Social media followers: 49.32M(YouTube: 2.82M, TikTok: 6.93M, Instagram: 39.57M)Anushka Sen is an Indian television actress and model who is also active as a social media influencer. Social media followers: 5.34M(YouTube: 930K, TikTok: 4.20M, Instagram: 210K)Kem promotes Korean culture with content featuring Korean food and fashion. Social media followers: 2.39M(YouTube: 2.12M, TikTok: 40K, Instagram: 220K)Cassandra Bankson is an American model and social media personality who promotes skin care. Since early in the Joseon dynasty, dating back to 1396 (5th year of King Taejo’s reign), the Bosingak Bell was rang to open en masse the four main gates (Sungnyemun, Heunginjimun, Sukjeongmun, and Donuimun Gates) and the four small gates (Hyehwamun, Sodeokmun, Gwanghuimun, and Changuimun Gates) in the capital city. The practice of bell ringing at dawn was called “paru,” where the bell is rung 33 times at around 4 AM to lift the night curfew and signal the start of daily activities with the opening of the eight gates.